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You may not have heard about our antics for the past few days but that is because we’ve been VERY busy.  Here’s a short version of where we’ve been and what we’ve done…

Tuesday

The day started in Trastevere.  We visited the  Villa Farnesina.  It’s a grand house that was originally built by Augustino Chigi around 1506 as a summer home.  The house is highly decorated with frescos – many of them done by Raphael.  The house is surrounded by a beautiful garden containing many varieties of fruit trees.

(In Italy you spend most of your days staring at ceilings)

After that we started walking upriver with no particular goal in mind.  We passed The Vatican, Castel St Angelo, The Bridge of Angels and The Supreme Court Building.

           (The Supreme Court Building)

Empty stomachs and tired feet became the priority so we decided to cross the river and sit down to some lunch.  We ordered pizza.  In Italy, pizza resembles a loaf of bread that has been flattened and stretched.  It rarely has red sauce on it.  You order it by weight and they cut it to size with plain old scissors (yes, the kind that’s in your desk right now).  We had prosciutto, ham and sausage on ours; it was delicious!

After lunch we proceed to the Basilica of St Ambrose and St Charles.  The major relic was St Charles’ heart.  It was encased in a glass heart for all to see.

We continued walking rather aimlessly until we found, you guessed it, an interesting looking gelato shop.  We shared a cup of milk chocolate and amareno (cherry).  We ate it is we walked.  By the time we finished eating it we were in the Piazza del Popolo.

On our previous trip to Italy we visited Piazza del Popolo briefly in the early morning.  We were there to meet the tour bus to Pompei; we never had a chance to look around at all.  This time we took our time and explored every nook and cranny.  We also visited the Da Vinci museum there.  They had reproductions of all of his inventions.  It was mildly interesting.  In case you ever go there you should know that the museum doesn’t have a restroom – they direct you to the nearby Burger King.  They will let you come back if you show your ticket.

After our visit to the museum, we climbed many, Many, MANY steps to the Terrazza del Pincio, where there was a lovely view of the city.  This eventually led to the Piazza Bucarest and beyond that the top of the Spanish Steps.

Why are they called the Spanish Steps?  We couldn’t remember so we looked it up (again).  The steps connect to the Piazza di Spagna, which was considered to be Spanish territory at one time (the Spanish embassy was there).  The name has nothing to do with the steps themselves.

As we were walking out of the square we stumbled onto one of our favorite gelato places from last summer: Pompi.  They have the best fondante around (dark chocolate).  They also have several  “milk free” (no lactose) flavors.  They do not, however, take credit cards. 😥

According to our iPhones we walked 9.2 miles and 16 flights of stairs that day.

Since this post is already longer than we intended stay tuned for Wednesday and Thursday; we did a lot on those days, too…

 

What is this?  Extra points if you know where this is?  Good luck!

Starting today we are introducing a new feature: Mystery Picture of the Day!  Each day we will post a picture from our adventures and ask our local followers to guess what it is. The first few will be easy but expect them to get progressively harder.  We’ll be able to tell if you used picture search engines 😋

The afternoon weather was calling for rain (it is the rainy season in Rome now) but the morning was beautiful and clear so we decided to explore locally.  The only parts of Trastevere we had seen were the parts near the apartment and along the Tiber River so yesterday we did some exploring.  This meant we were in for some hill climbing.

Trastevere is on the “wrong” side of the Tiber so its hills are not considered to be part of the seven; only the hills that were part of the ancient city of Rome can be counted.  Even so, the hill in Trastevere would be considered the second highest hill in the city.

Not surprisingly the wealthy gravitated to the heights so that their large homes and palazzos had magnificent views of the area.  Sadly most of the large homes are now either part of university campuses or have been divided into multi-family homes.  The views from the top are quite magnificent.

For the majority of the climb you have your choice of long, winding streets or beautifully landscaped stairs with views of the valley; guess which one we chose?  On top we found some large public parks (apparently ideal for dog walking) and fountains.

(This will give you some idea of the climb and the view at the top)

This fountain, in the middle of what is now a residential area, was undoubtedly a terminus for one of the seven aqueducts that came into the ancient city.  The famous Trevi Fountain is another example.

(A large fountain at the top of the hill in Trastevere – likely an aqueduct terminus)

For all you fountain lovers here’s another, smaller one that can be found just blocks from our apartment.  You can see it at the end of one of the longer streets that lead to the base of the hill.

(Beautiful fountains can be found everywhere)

All of the pictures I have posted so far have come from my iPhone.  I hate iPhone photos.  They have lousy resolution, poor color saturation and lack fine details. Starting today I am going to carry my camera.  You should see a vast improvement in the quality of the photos from now on.

Baggage Update

After I submitted my expenses I received an email from British Airways providing me with a case number.  The email also included the following statement.

“We currently have high volumes of incoming mail, so would ask you not to chase a response.  We’ll be in contact as soon as possible.”

I think they would lighten their load tremendously if they’d stop loosing peoples luggage and provide some semblance of customer service.  Aren’t airlines considered to be a service industry.  Enough said.

 

I guess I’ve kept you in suspense long enough.  My bag did arrive – and within the stated time period.  The bag itself was not damaged and the contents were all intact.  So far, so good.

Phase II.  I submitted the receipts.  They have an online system where you can scan and upload them along with the report on the purchased items.  Of course there were a few twists.

1. They will credit my bank directly.  The receipts are all in EUR; my bank only takes USD.  I provided them the receipts and a copy of my credit card statement so they can see the charges in USD as well.  Let’s just hope currency conversions aren’t too far beyond their capabilities.
2. I took pictures of the receipts on my phone.  Each picture was about eight megabytes in size.  Their website allows a maximum size on the uploaded files of only two megabytes.  I made the file sizes smaller to comply but at that resolution the receipts are hardly readable.  Never a dull day.

Watch this space for updates; you never can tell what hell they’ll put me through next 😋

Today was a busy day.  We had breakfast in the apartment, “stand up” coffee (for Deborah) at a nearby salumeria, did some grocery shopping, watched four workman fix  the lock on our front door, and then were off to re-visit some sights from our last time here in Rome.

Our first stop was The Pantheon.  I have loved this place since I first learned of it many years ago. The idea that this building has survived intact and (in some ways) unchanged for 2,000 years astounds me.  The interior is in fantastic condition and the Oculus is breathtaking.  When we first went there last year Deborah didn’t believe me when I told her that the top had been open for over 20 centuries; she insisted that there must be a glass covering.  Right on cue a bird flew through the opening, circled the interior and landed near the bottom of the dome.  We had a good laugh!  I wish I could find some depiction of what the interior must have looked like in ancient Roman times.

Our second stop was Piazza Navona.  Like The Pantheon this square was the scene of some excitement in Dan Brown’s, “Angels and Daemons”.  We ate pizza while sitting in a cafe overlooking the fountains and listening to a guitar player entertain the crowd.  Last summer one of the stores had a huge stuffed animal in the form of a three headed dragon in the window.  We went by to see if it was still there.  Sadly, it wasn’t.

Next we visited the Trevi Fountain.  I had heard that there was a drought in Rome and that all of the fountains had been turned off.  I guess the drought is over because all of the fountains were flowing with gusto.  After eating gelato at two different places we were off to see the Spanish Steps.

Last summer the steps were closed because of repairs.  This time we were able to see them in all their glory.  It turns out that the steps are a popular place to sit and pass some time.  I don’t know why that surprised me.  I took the liberty of climbing all the way to the top and down again.  After two gelatos I felt I needed the exercise.

(The Spanish Steps – a good place to sit)

Now you get to hear the really big news.  As we were walking back from the Spanish Steps my phone rang: it was British Airways.  My bag is expected to be delivered to the apartment this afternoon between 4:00 pm and 6:00 pm.  Our immediate thoughts ran the gamut of…

1. Hopefully they deliver the right bag.
2. All of my stuff better be there.
3. Will they be able to find the apartment?
4. I’m taking bets on how late they’ll be.
5. I hope they won’t expect kudos from me.
6. How long do you think it will take to get reimbursed for the things I purchased in the meantime.

Let’s just say they’ve given us reason to have low expectations

Our apartment is in a neighborhood of Rome called  Trastevere (tras-TEV-e-rey).  It sits on the West side of the Tiber River just south of Vatican City. The name literally means, “beyond the Tiber”; before the Roman period the area was inhabited by the Etruscans.

It is a charming neighborhood, with a labyrinth of narrow, winding cobblestone streets that lead to wonderfully inexpensive restaurants and has a character all its own.  Our apartment at Vicolo della Torre 13 (Alley of the Tower) resides on a tiny dead-end street along with with a handful of ancient looking homes.  It’s a stones throw from the main street, Viale di Trastevere, and a one minute walk to the Tiber River.  The closest Tiber River crossing is the “Ponte Garibaldi”, which leads you almost directly to the door of the church of Santa Maria in the Cosmedin, which contains the Bocca della Verità (Mouth of Truth) that was featured prominently in movies such as “Roman Holiday” and “Only You”.   We can walk just about anywhere you can think of in less than 20 minutes.  Location, location, location!

One of the most famous structures in all Rome is located just a stone’s throw from our apartment.  It is the church of Santa Maria in Trastevere. It is one of the oldest churches in Rome whose beginnings date back to the 340s AD.  We visited it yesterday and it was impressive.  Of course it has been renovated and rebuilt many times over the years; some of the oldest structures/artwork seen date from the 12th century.  The church also contains many famous burials as well as two holy relics: the head of Saint Apollonia and a portion of the “Holy Sponge”.

Today we’re planning to visit the Pantheon and the Trevi fountain.  Translation: we’re going back to one of our favorite gelato places!

Lastly the luggage situation: haven’t heard a word from British Air.  I purchased razors, vitamins and such this morning.  I am keeping all of the receipts.

The person we rented the apartment from wrote a lovely guide to help us find services in the area.  She recommended that we use Conad as our local supermarket.  Wanting some food in the house we walked down Viale di Trastevere to where Google said we should find it and all we saw was a clothing store.  A check of the map indicated that we were in the right place.  Perplexed, we walked up and down the street for a few blocks in both directions thinking either we missed it or it was a little further.  No joy.  Just when we had decided that the grocery had closed and been replaced by a clothing store we noticed a small sign inside the clothing store that said, “Conad”.  Surprisingly to us the grocery turned out to be in the basement of the clothing store.  Who figured.

(Our neighborhood grocery store)

In the afternoon we walked the streets of Rome going wherever the meandering streets took us. Uncharacteristically for us we were still at it after dark.  I guess it’s easier to stay out late when you no longer have to get up at the crack of dawn for work.

(Tiber River bridge with St. Peter’s in the background)

I chased British Air all morning for news of my luggage.  “It’s on the next plane” seems to be their standard answer to just about any question.  Once again I heard how it had been found in Las Vegas and was supposed to be sent to Rome via London.  No one had any idea of where it was or whether it had even left Las Vegas, but I should rest assured that the minute it arrived in Rome I would be notified.  While we were out I bought some toiletries and two days worth of clothing; I will be sending the bills to British Air.